The efficient removal of dissolved organic compounds (DOC) from wastewater has become a major environmental concern because of its high toxicity even at low concentrations. Therefore, a technique was needed to reduce these pollutants. Ion exchange technology (IE) was used with Amberlite^TM IR120 Na, Amberlite^TM IR96RF, and Amberlite^TM IR402, firstly by using anion and mixed bed system, where the following variables are investigated for the process of adsorption: The height of the bed in column (8,10 and 14 cm), different concentrations of (DOC) content at constant flow rate. The use of an ion exchanger unit (continuous system) with three columns (cation, anion, and mixed bed) was studied.

Due to the deliberate disposal of industrial waste, a great amount of petroleum hydrocarbons pollute the soil and aquatic environments. Bioremediation that depends on the microorganisms in the removal of pollutants is more efficient and cost-effective technology. In this study, five rhizobacteria were isolated from Phragmites australis roots and exposed to real wastewater from Al-Daura refinery with 70 mg/L total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration. The five selected rhizobacteria were examined in a biodegradation test for seven days to remove TPH. The results showed that 80% TPH degradation as the maximum value by Sphingomonas Paucimobilis as identified with Vitek® 2 Compact (France).

The removal of COD from wastewater generated by petroleum refinery has been investigated by adopting electrocoagulation (EC) combined with adsorption using activated carbon (AC) derived from avocado seeds. The process variables influencing COD removal were studied: current density (2–10 mA/cm2), pH (4–9), and AC dosage (0.2–1 g/L). Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to construct a mathematical model of the EC/AC process. Results showed that current density has the major effect on the COD removal with a percent of contribution 32.78% followed by pH while AC dosage has not a remarkable effect due to the good characteristics of AC derived from avocado seeds. Increasing current density gives be